The Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office asks to investigate the torture committed by Francoist police
The Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office, in collaboration with the Democratic Memory Prosecutor’s Office, has asked the judge to accept the complaint filed by the Ferrándiz brothers for processing. This complaint seeks to investigate the torture they suffered at the hands of Francoist agents at the Via Laietana police station in 1971.
Second complaint for Francoist torture in the Barcelona courts
This is the second complaint for Francoist torture that has been filed in the Barcelona courts. The first, presented by activist Carles Vallejo, was not admitted for processing by the judge, although an appeal has been filed before the Barcelona Court. In Spain, there is currently only one case open for Francoist torture, and the judge is considering shelving it due to the statute of limitations.
Accusations against members of the General Police Corps
The complaint filed by the Ferrándiz brothers is directed against at least four people, members of the General Police Corps assigned to the Sixth Regional Social Research Brigade of the Superior Prefecture of Barcelona. All of them are accused of committing crimes against humanity through torture.
The torture suffered by the Ferrándiz brothers
The Ferrándiz brothers were subjected to torture at the Via Laietana police station after being arrested in 1971 due to their anti-Franco militancy, when they were only 17 years old. They were accused of being part of the Jove Guàrdia Roja organization.
The fight for historical memory
These complaints filed by Vallejo and the Ferrándiz brothers have great symbolism, since the torture for their political and union activity against the dictatorship occurred at the Via Laietana police station, known as the ‘house of horrors’ by anti-Franco groups. Various historical memory entities and progressive parties want this space, currently occupied by the National Police Headquarters in Catalonia, to become a memorial to the dictatorship. However, until now, both the Government led by the PSOE and the one led by the PP have refused to convert the police station into a place of historical memory, opting to maintain its police use.
